Cho Sun B.B.Q. Korean Restaurant

(604) 434-1222
3486 Kingsway
Vancouver, BC V5R

In Dubai for the weekend I was lost for some well priced adventure. Skiing in malls and and going into the desert in 45 degrees get old as fast as they were thought up, and shopping generally gives me anxiety. As you can imagine, Dubai isn’t the place for me. On my last day I finally figured out what to do. With some encouragement and research from Jonathan, I ventured out to the Local House restaurant on specific and courageous mission: to find and eat camel.

At first I was scared by visions of retired tick infested spitting camels that carry tourists around the desert. I was worried, at least I thought, this would be a work out with sinewy and tough, uninteresting meat. But when I arrived I found myself hypnotized with the poster outside the restaurant which read “Eat Yummy Camel Burger.’ My anxieties lifted like some sort of Jedi mind trick and I entered the completely empty restaurant, probably more in the mood for gazpacho than anything else, but ever ready and excited.

The Verdict? The sign is true. Camel is delicious. I played it safe and went for the camel burger, instead of the soup and steak that was also offered, but the taste was surprisingly unreal. Rich and subtle with a slight caramelized crisp to to the seared patty. It was like beef dipped in devonshire cream and then barbecued. It was like eating vibrations from a stand up bass. The taste harmonized with my mood and left me feeling grounded, on beat, and in tune. Next time anyone goes through Dubai, I have to insist, put your anxieties aside, follow the sign, and enjoy.

L’Abbatoir is French for slaughterhouse, a nod to blood alley, steps away. Like all of the establishments in this building, there is tons of natural light and great brick, and they have done an amazing job renovating, including re-inventing the solarium under a striking tree branch chandelier. The staff is keen, friendly and knowledgeable; the menu is small and to the point on a metal clip board. At the bar Shaun Layton impresses while Chef Lee Cooper puts out a clean and sophisticated cuisine.

The bread we were given to start was delicious with a cheesey twist and a fluffy bun with bacon in it. Yes, bacon. How many times have you been given bread at the beginning of a meal with bacon inside of it? Enough said.

The starters we had were quickly devoured and while they were not entirely understood by me, they were enjoyed. Beautiful and enticing, a lightly poached egg served with quinoa and swiss chard was served with tomato sauce. ($11) Probably the only thing I didn’t love was the Dungeoness crab and chickpea “toast,” served with a crab custard and carrot pickles, but I am not a fan of custards. The dish was still eagerly eaten and quite interesting in textures and tastes.

The mains we ordered were a big success. My favorite was the lightly steamed fillet of ling cod, served with dreamy celeriac croquettes, glazed celery, artichokes, tomato and olive oil sauce. This was bright and perfectly cooked, a refreshing counterpoint to a summer evening. ($23) The roasted fillet of steelhead brought a more savory note, served with raviolies of smoked trout belly and a generous pouring of decadent browned butter and caper emulsion. ($23)

L’Abbatoir fires on all fronts. From decor to drinks, food, service and location, nothing disappoints. And with probably the best restaurant lighting for food photography, I loved it. L’Abbatoir does not take reservations and time will tell if that means its convenient to stop by or impossible to get in. For now though, this is my new favorite spot, making it ever more likely that I will never get out of Gastown.

http://www.labattoir.ca/
217 Carrall Street, Gastown, Vancouver
No Reservations
Open Monday to Saturday
Dinner service from 5:30pm to Midnight
Kitchen closes at 10.30pm
info@labattoir.ca
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In great company, I attended the Swallow Tail Supper Club, one of Vancouver’s newest underground restaurants. With Victoria, Sherman, Kim, Mijune, Ben & Suanne, Frank, Joyce, Jenny, Ricky and Anita I was excited to experience another underground dinner. Although I did not know the menu ahead of us, we were given wine recommendations by course and came well prepared.

In addition to the Supper Club, our host Robin runs Swallow Tail Tours as well as catering and organizing food events. Obsessed with local and organic foods, a lot of Robin’s ingredients come out of her (and local) gardens, and she even catches many of her own Dungenes Crab. Look out for some wild game later in the summer (if she can pull the trigger).

It was a gorgeous spring evening and we were put in the garden for an initial drink and the amuse bouche, a sour apple tart on puff pastry and apple reduction, with a big hunk of BC gruyere on top. And I am easily pleased by good cheese!

Moving inside, we found a dedicated dining room in the basement, with a wall of wine, some music, and a long table. The room is comfortable and a bit cottagey, but provides a great private dining room with no neighbours to bother.

We started with a soup of hand picked stinging nettle, arugula, sweet peas and garden rosemary, finished with BC stout bread cubes and a cream garnish. This was quite nice, and an introduction to stinging nettles for me, they do still sting a bit when you eat them, but the soup was very subtle over all.

I normally complain at the style of caesar served with whole leaves of lettuce, or in this case, a whole head. But this salad was quite delicious and slightly grilled; the cedar smoke aroma was generous.

Baked live Dungeness crab is something best eaten in a private dining room, so we were doing well as the crab juices flowed and practiced dissembling skills were on full display. And the garlic crab butter… oh, the dreamy butter.

Bison tenderloin with red onion jam followed with a nice char on it, and served with creamed parsnips with garden rhubarb, sauteed leeks with cattails in BC chardonnay, cleavers and chive flowers. This is my favorite way to cook Bison and the rich onion jam was excellent, my only wish was for more meat!
A bold meritage wine brought it all together, and this was a course I would like to linger over.

For desert we were served a delicious Limbert Mountain Farm Earl Grey, followed by a Beer battered crepe blintz with apples & huckleberries, Amontillado Sherry reduction. This was tasty but I would never order a blintz and I can’t really compare it to anything. I enjoyed the berries, but the plate seemed to lack some character. After that bison, I wanted chocolate!

Overall it was a lovely evening and we enjoyed a lot of good food. Our host and her sous chef were very friendly and welcoming and maintained a very relaxing environment.

The outing sparked some debate about the role of underground restaurants, some people seem to like it more than others. Personally I enjoy that underground restaurants offer a different and unique experience, like a well-catered dinner party. You get a private atmosphere to get silly in, and you save a lot on some good wine to accompany great food. And never touch a dish. It sounds great to me.

Swallow Tail Secret Supper Club (underground restaurant)
Mount Pleasant Area
For reservations email Robin at: theswallowdive@gmail.com

Cost:

$29 per person, 3 course portion
$49 per person, 5 course portion (recommended)
There is a group sitting size of up to 17 people

Under the famous highlight park in the meat packing district of NYC, Morimoto’s gorgeous modern sushi restaurant sparkles with a textured canopy ceiling, a glowing glass wall and a huge wooden sushi bar. I managed to score a last minute reservation, their last booking for the evening.

The list of appetizers was so enticing with carpacios and sashimis, fritters and tartares that we could scarcely make up our minds. We settled on the wagyu beef tartare with spicy aioli, tropical fruit and caviar. ($25) The beef was very lightly seared and the dish was delicious, although for me it only stood slightly above the many dishes I eat like this in Vancouver all the time. The Morimoto Sashimi followed, ($28) with seared toro, salmon, eel, tuna, hamachi layered on top of each other and cut into six portions, each with a different topping, such as caviar. And in a Morimoto touch, it came with 5 sauces in tiny plastic squeeze bottles. I have never seen sashimi prepared in such a delicate presentation, nor such a layered combination. It was a deliciously confusing bite of textures and tastes. But while the sauces brought me Iron Chef joy, but they were many and watery. The gimmick was fun but did not add anything for me.

For a main course we ordered the braised black cod in a ginger-soy reduction. ($23) The cod was show-stoppingly delicious, but the plate was large and bare, this should have been an appetizer. The wagyu filet & hamachi ribbons was more like it, with herbed potatoes, crushed citrus & avocado. ($39) This was perfection and fully satisfying.

For desert I tried the sesame hazelnut layer cake ($12) with a green tea, white chocolate, mandarin-plum sake sorbet. This is without a doubt one of the best deserts I have ever had in my life. I would go back for this alone.

Overall, Morimoto serves impeccable fish of every description and delivers a presentation that leaves no doubt that you are under the care of the Iron Chef. Going again I would be more careful about ordering a small Main and sharing plates may be a better strategy. But the atmosphere, delicious food, and the great sake, tea and desert menu make for a wonderful meal. We were lucky to have Morimoto himself in the house, and when he walked by the table, I tried to stay cool while I flushed with celebrity tingles. And on another note altogether, as we were eating, the ladies of Penthouse arrived en masse, wearing festive Cinco de Mayo sombreros and accompanied by none other than world-class douchebag Bob Sagat. The staff seemed slightly horrified and they told us they asked for the hats not to be worn, but who is going stand up to that much silicon?

Morimoto
8 10th Avenue
New York, NY 10011-4721, United States
(212) 989-8883

Arriving after midnight in NYC, the famous burger joint in my hotel was closed. But only steps away I found the largest club sandwich I have ever seen. A real-deal deli since 1937, the Carnegie has salami hanging from the ceiling, walls plastered with aging celebrity photos, and is quick to serve up deliciously garlic pickles. The crowd is the everyman New York scene: Japanese tourists, huge rural Americans squirting mayo like a river, theater goers in tuxedos and drunk ruffians. And the piles of food coming out of the kitchen defy all good sense – the reubens and clubs are stacked like a sky scraper. The pies looked the same, and a chocolate shake almost put me into a coma. Hello New York, I hope I live long enough to eat again.

Carnegie Deli
854 7th Avenue at 55th Street,
New York, New York, 10019
Phone: 212-757-2245

Miku occupies the space that used to be an old lunch favorite, the Spotted Prawn. The long room makes good use of the open kitchen, with an impressive stretch of busy kitchen staff and an opulent marble sushi bar. Harbour construction has spoiled the mountain view, but the room gets a lot of light and makes an impression.  A giant glass waterfall and suspended glass ceiling “clouds” with multi-colored lights are clearly designed to impress, but I must admit I find the ceiling a 90s nightmare and made an effort to ignore it, although I may well be alone in that opinion. But the restaurant’s opulence lets you know you are in for a special meal.

Owned by a Japanese corporation with a growing sushi empire, Miku is the spearhead in a North American expansion. The style of sushi served is called Aburi, which stands apart by being flame-seared and served with toppings and rich sauces. There is also Oshi (pressed) sushi and heavily dressed Maki and sashimi. And at Miku they seem to love Mexican flavors and make an eye-opening, tongue-popping use of avacado & jalapeno. Recently back for dinner, I had the chance to work my way more greedily through their menu.

Although I visited during Dine Out Vancouver and it was busy, the only real effect I noticed was being unable to order the chef’s Omakase menu, a 9 course run through the menu’s highlights, ($60 per person) however we did quite well going crazy a la carte anyway. The service at Miku is excellent, friendly and attentive. The drink menu has lots of great sake, plum wine and shochu choices, and I did very well with the latter. And they even let you choose your own sake cup.

The signature Aburi Saba Oshi Sushi with jalapeño on top is an easy favorite, ($10) and we tried hamachi in various forms which was unbelievably good. Soba Pepperoncino was pan fried buckwheat noodles with jalapeño & squid ($10) while Washugyu Carpaccio ($19) was delicious with a sweet sauce. The Ebi Fritter ($10) was recommended to us, but below the menu in my opinion, dressed up much like the ceiling. Everything was delicious, premium, well-prepared and quickly devoured. And I was surprised to see so many local ingredients on the menu at a restaurant you would expect to fly everything in from Japan, they take their Ocean Wise seriously.

Miku is highly recommended and I can’t wait to go back with a more adventurous crowd, because we left some amazing things untried, such as the soft shell crab and the Miko Maki (with uni). Who’s coming with me?

Miku Restaurant

www.mikurestaurant.com

#2-1055 West Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC V6E 2E9
(604) 568-3900

Wikipedia reads that a Judas goat is trained to lead sheep to slaughter while its own life is spared. And located in the middle of Gastown’s Blood Alley, it is perhaps an apt name for the new tapas bar from Scott Hawthorn and Sean Heather, the owners of the Irish Heather and Salt Tasting room, just steps away.

The goat is a tiny, funky little room, quickly rammed full by just over 20 people, some of whom sit right in the ovenless kitchen. The front of house staff, the kitchen staff and the patrons are all on top of each other, and a lone door leads down a bomb-shelter-like hallway to distant rest rooms (do not forget the key fob!). But the atmosphere is lively and voracious.

The tapas menu embraces the trend of having people fill out a menu with how many they want of each item. The choices are divided between bruschettas, hot items, (from the Quizno’s-like toaster) “pressed and potted” items and salads.

I sampled a deliciously salty Rabbit Rillette with Carrot Panna Cotta. ($6) The chorizo, caramelized onion and dark chocolate bruschetta ($8 for 4) was fabulous and I could have had about 100 of them. The marinated beat salad ($7) was demur and a bit too subtle, but provided a counter point to the intensity of everything else. Beef brisket Meatballs ($6) were of an interesting texture, and in dire need of seasoning in a plain tomato sauce. The braised pork belly ($6) looked unappealingly beige, but ended being outrageously good – it is a must-order. And finally, a somewhat subtle Foie Gras was served with a Rhubarb “foam” that was almost mousse.

The drink menu was similarly eclectic and I thought a little light on beer choices. Only cider is on tap.

The goat is a fun place to head after work, and it is nice to see more bars opening up in Gastown. The menu makes for interesting eating and assuming you do not suffer from claustrophobia, you will likely have a great time at the goat, with a couple of friends (not more). The goat’s small size is interesting when you consider that overflow is sent to Salt or the Irish heather. Sean Heather has a game plan and I think that in it we are all sheep.

Judas Goat
604 681 5090
27 Blood Alley
Vancouver, BC
judasgoat.ca goat@judasgoat.ca

Or: Just drop by, and if they don’t have a seat, they will take your number, send to one of their other operations located within a 200 ft (Salt Tasting Room or Irish Heather Gastropub) and call you when seats are available.

The Vancouver underground restaurant scene now boasts 4 restaurants: 12B, Secret Supper, Swallow Tail Supper Club, and the newest entry, NFA.

Chef Steve of NFA invited me to review his food and I brought along 11 other Vancouver food bloggers to sample his 6 course feast. Being the nice fellow that he is, he gave us a discount, but the regular price of $50 is very reasonable.

The NFA is hosted out of Steve’s apartment, which offers a surprisingly spacious and comfortable dining room for 10-12. A central chalk board outlines the 6 courses in store for you, which typically revolve around the house specialty, pork belly. This is a not a meal for vegetarians.

The location, of course, is a closely guarded secret, but I can tell you it is in the heart of kits. Due to noise complaints from the neighbors, NFA is seeking a new location, and dinners need to wind down by a decent hour (11ish). Maybe it is part of the mystery of the underground restaurant, but piecing together all the dinner details via email was a bit of an effort and a pre-written FAQ would go a long way.

Steve serves very high-end and bold cuisine and it was shocking that it all comes out of his small kitchen. We also found it amazing that all his cooking efforts did not overpower the room; I have no idea how he is ventilating the place, but it is working. Being a home-based service, the only real difference that bothered me a bit was holding onto our cutlery through 6 courses, but I cannot really blame him for that. Otherwise it is like restaurant service with the intimacy and privacy of a dinner party. If you aren’t having fun, you brought the wrong people.

Like all of the underground restaurants, you bring your own wine and there is no corkage fee. A large bucket of ice is provided for the whites. Guidance on what vintage to bring though, is slight. We all ended up bringing Bordeaux and mostly reds, which seemed a good match to me.

We started with a delicious and generous portion of thai beef salad, one of the best I have ever had. If i could get this as take-out, I would be eating it all the time. Up second was a trio of scallops: a delicious carpacio, a seared scallop with miso, leek and apple. And a third with a caper and raisin emulsion and delicious caramelized cauliflower.

Next was the main event, the slow-cooked fennel pork belly. This dish was of great anticipation, and I admit a tiny bit of fear, as it was my first pork belly -  if you do not count top chef viewing. Pork belly is a lot more layered and has a lot more meat than I anticipated, and I found it delicious. It is of course rich and the top layer was deliciously chewey and I had no trouble enjoying it thoroughly. It was served over a bed of a coarse mashed potato, with endives, prosciutto and roasted garlic.

We followed with a grapefruit sorbet course to cleanse our pallets, with candied ginger and campari. This was delicious, but I found the grapefruit and the ginger very strong for a cleanser.

Sablefish was up next, with an intense Cantonese vegetable sauce, and bok choy and croquette. I enjoyed this, but there was some discussion about its texture, and Steve informed us that sometimes Sable fish can be mushy from enzymes, as in this case. But I did not find this to be as big an issue as some at our table did, but then I was nearing food coma and not feeling very critical. The croquette however was heavy and huge and not what I needed at this point in the meal.

Finally, just when I thought I might pass out, we finished with a dark chocolate mouse with raspberry coulis and hazelnut. This was rich and delicious and huge. A knock-out punch. I would like to meet this as a midnight snack one day. After the other courses I could barely do it justice.

In summary, Steve’s menu is a serious menu, it has gravity. And this was my main criticism, the meal was too heavy. There were too many strong components, heavy sauces and bitter vegetables. Even the sorbet refresher was very bold. The meal would have been a lot better with a more delicate touch and slightly smaller portions. That said, it was a delight, enjoyed by all. Steve and his sous chef were extremely friendly, while at the same time leaving us to enjoy our dinner. I would not hesitate to book another dinner at NFA, and I recommend it to any hungry, meat-eating group curious about the underground scene.

Other reviews, with more photos:

Victoria’s Food Secrets

NFA

Secret Location

Reservations: nfa.reservations@gmail.com

Kingyo occupies the higher end of the Vancouver izakaya scene and its chef has almost rock star status, known for wearing a playful face mask while cooking for a crowd. The interior has a lot of quirky detail, bamboo and textures. I don’t know why it took me so long to try it, but once I did, I had to go back almost right away. I went with a couple of hungry mad people and we ate almost the entire menu and took good advantage of the reasonably priced hot sake. The dishes overall stand apart from guu or hapa. The menu lists their “special ingredients,” describing the Yuzu, Shiso, Ponzu, Miso and Salt choices, an informative and appetizing touch.  The Sizzling Kinoko Tofu is deep fried tofu with mushrooms, dried scallop and okra, served in a sizzling hot stone bowl, both memorable and delicious. The soft shell crab salad is crunchy goodness and I am particularly fond of the stone-grilled Kobe (cooked at the table), which is sold at a well-deserved premium. The tako-wasabi dish offers raw, cooked or half and half wasabe marinated octopus, and the latter was fabulous. Carpaccio, mixed sashimis, sushi and rolls are all mostly great, but the hot dishes stand out a lot more from the competition. We tried a special that was deep fried Roe with sliced duck in a hot rice bowl and it was amazingly good (and surprisingly so). And of course to finish, frozen grapes, although their deserts look interesting. Kingyo is busy, reservations are a must, and they enforce their table time limits. So enough talking, you better get eating!

Kingyo

www.kingyo-izakaya.com

871 Denman Street
Vancouver, BC V6G 2L9
(604) 608-1677